I Was So Ill I Couldn’t Walk As a Stranger Virtually Carried Me to the Toilets.

Back when I was 19 years old, my regular journey to work meant taking an express bus. The vehicle was always crowded and was consistently completely full when I boarded.

During a certain commute, I began feeling terribly ill as the bus lurched around each corner. I kept telling myself to persevere another few kilometres so the bus could reached my stop, and then I could make a mad dash to the closest public restroom to vomit.

As we neared the avenue close to the destination as I realised I would not be to hold on. All of a sudden, it felt as if a veil came over me. The world became blank and silent; as if someone muted everything. My mind raced, “I’m going to faint”.

Thankfully, I was positioned near the front of the bus, allowing me to take several steps toward the driver and asked the driver to open the doors, explaining to him I was going to vomit. He promptly opened the bus doors and I stumbled out onto the sidewalk.

I was resolved not to vomit in view of multiple lanes of cars, so I forced myself up and began attempting to stumble to the park on the other side, where I thought I could at least find some privacy behind a bush to throw up. Yet I must have lost consciousness. I could feel my limbs, but I couldn’t walk or see properly, leading me to start dragging myself toward the park.

“Everything alright, love?”

Right then, I got scooped up. I sensed someone holding me and heard a man say, “Are you okay, dear?” I explained to this mysterious stranger that I required to get to a bathroom. So he virtually supported my weight into a nearby building and guided me inside the women’s restroom. He asked me if I wanted him to wait for me but I declined.

A few minutes later, I regained my composure to the point of sitting on the restroom floor and from the other side of the door I heard him ask, “Do you need anything, love? Can I get you something?” I could not to stand up at that moment but I was able to say thank you and after a few more minutes was able to move my feet. I got myself home and spent the next few days healing from what was later diagnosed as a severe stomach virus.

I never glimpsed that man’s face – merely his legs and the big metal toolbox he had with him – but he helped me, at a moment I was completely helpless.

Frequently, society has a way of making you defensive, aggressive and competitive. What he did was the kind of action that melts away that protective shell. He was proof that humanity’s innate tendency leans toward compassion, a trait I cherish about humanity.